THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 19, 1994 TAG: 9408180231
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 15 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
He's a champion weight lifter who can now be seen on television.
Not only is Danny Transfiguracion one of the nation's all-time greatest bench-press lifters in the 132-pound class but he's now a television star - sort of.
If you look hard enough, you can see the Virginia Beach resident in several bit parts and fighting scenes in the made-for-television movie ``Vanishing Son Part III.''
The choppy-socky film series about two Chinese brothers, one law-abiding and the other descending into a life of crime, was partially filmed in Hampton Roads and is part of Universal Studios' ``Action Pack'' series of slam-bang films shown on independent stations nationwide.
Locally the movie broadcast earlier this month on WGNT Channel 27. But check local listings, it may repeat on WGNT and it's also being shown on several cable channels.
Besides being a champion lifter, the Chesapeake General Hospital employee is also a martial arts expert.
He said that while growing up in Angeles City in the Philippines he began his training at age 3 in tae kwon do, a Korean form of martial arts with an emphasis on kicks.
``I've self-studied all my life,'' said Transfiguracion, 28. ``Studying martial arts was a natural school requirement for us.''
Transfiguracion said that since he's up to a black belt level in skill and efficiency he decided to answer a January newspaper ad calling fighters to appear in ``Vanishing Son.'' Auditions took place at Pembroke Mall and drew several hundred martial arts experts.
``At the auditions they wanted us to show moves in front of a camera,'' he said. ``You actively had to go out and show what you could do.''
Transfiguracion showed 'em plenty and was hired to play the part of a member of the Triads Chinese street gang.
He said the filming schedule was as grueling as the stunts.
``They wanted us at the set at 4 a.m. and filming dragged on until about 10 p.m.,'' he said. ``Plus we had to wear the same clothes every day, of course, and we got pretty stinky there on the set.''
Most of the scenes were filmed last April at Fort Wool, an abandoned fort near the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel.
``It was freezing out there, I wore several layers of clothing and it was still cold,'' he said. ``We were out there from eight to 12 hours doing spinning kicks and other fight scenes. Often I wondered if it was worth it getting kicked all day. For example, it took about three to four hours just to shoot a scene that lasted all of five seconds.''
But Transfiguracion said the experience was worth all of the fighting, freezing and re-shoots. All the extras were well fed and treated well by the actors, producers and directors. He even got to know one of the film's actors, Louyong Wang, a Chinese actor/martial arts expert.
``He gave me his address on the set and I wrote to him and a month ago he wrote me back,'' Transfiguracion said. ``He told me he enjoyed working with me. He was impressed with my kicks.''
Transfiguracion said he's featured in several background fighting stunts and a couple of times the camera pans his face as he surveys a fight or other action scenes.
Naturally he taped the film when it aired as he, his mother, his wife Sherry and their 7-year-old daughter Channing Elyse watched. But while the film was being broadcast the phone rang off the hook with friends, family, neighbors, colleagues and co-workers calling to congratulate him.
``Finally we had to cut the phone off so we could watch the film,'' he said. ``Later when I went to work out at Bally's in Greenbrier this guy yelled at me and said `Hey, I know you, I saw you on Vanishing Son.' That was a great feeling, I really enjoyed that moment.''
In between his martial arts film ``career,'' his work at the hospital, his weight training and power lifting competitions, he's busy earning his bachelor's degree in health management service from a St. Leo College satellite classroom at the Little Creek Amphibious Base. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by PETER D. SUNDBERG
Danny Transfiguracion is a leading bench-press lifter in the
132-pound class.
by CNB